Mattel’s China Experience

In 1945, the Mattel brand was born. Ruth and Elliot Handler and Harold â€Å"Matt† Matson launched Mattel out of a garage workshop in Southern California. The first Mattel products were actually picture frames, but Elliot soon started using those picture frames to create dollhouse furniture. Harold Matson eventually sold out to his partner, Ruth and Elliot Handler. The Handler’s, encouraged by the success of the doll furniture and turned the emphasis of the company to toys. By 1955 Mattel was advertising toys through the popular show â€Å"Mickey Mouse Club†; this revolutionized the way toys were marketed. By 1959 Mattel had introduced Barbie, named after their daughter Barbara’s nickname. Barbie would soon lead Mattel to the forefront of the toy industry and fascinate girls all over the world for decades. In 1960, Mattel became a publicly owned company, stock was listed was listed on the New York and Pacific Coast Stock Exchanges in 1963. By 1965, sales topped $100 million and the company joined the Fortune 500. In the years to come Mattel would enter the ever growing electronics industry, they would also enter several joint ventures and licensing agreements that would earn them more profit (Mattel History, www. Mattel. com). In 2010, Mattel posted profit of $24. 8 million, or 7 cents a share, compared with a loss of $51 million, or 14 cents a share in the previous period. Sales totaled $880. 1 million, an increase of 12% compared with $785. 6 million a year earlier (Chang, 2010). A host of external factors can influence a firm’s decision of direction and action. Influencing Mattel’s decisions are economic factors, social factors, political factors, technological factors and ecological factors. Mattel must lso understand the globalization strategy as it will allow them to pursue opportunities anywhere in the world and enable them to optimize business functions in the countries in which it operates (Pearce & Robinson, 2011). Companies such as Mattel, seeking lower prices have benefited from the â€Å"China price† which was 30 to 50 percent cheaper than the cost to make the equivalent product in the U. S. Companies choose China for a variety of reasons including lower business costs, cheaper labor, facilities, plant and equipment and raw materials. There were also differences in regulatory oversight between China and many other countries, including the U. S. The U. S. banned lead toys in 1978; China only signed an agreement to do so in September of 2007 (Pearce & Robinson, 2011). Being a global company, Mattel faces multiple political, economic, legal, social and cultural environments as well as various changes within each of them. Other issues arise in geographic separation, cultural and national differences and variations of business practices which all tend to make control and communication efforts between headquarters and the overseas affiliates difficult. Global companies like Mattel also face intense competition due to the differences in industry structures within countries. External factors such as technological change force Mattel to promote innovation to remain competitive. Mattel must be aware of technological changes that might influence its industry. Political factors are also considered external and are designed to benefit and protect firms like Mattel. Political constraints are placed on firms through actions like fair trade decisions, antitrust laws, tax programs, minimum wage legislation, pricing and polluting, many of these aimed at protecting employee’s (Pearce & Robinson, 2011). Outsourcing to China also creates concerns in quality control as in the case of the 2007 recall for Mattel. In July of 2007, Mattel announced it would be voluntarily recalling some of its products from a contract manufacturer in China that was utilizing non-approved paint containing lead. Mattel requires that their manufacturing partners use paint from approved and certified suppliers and have procedures in place that test and verify but in this particular instance, procedures were not followed. Of the 19 million plus Mattel toys recalled, 2. 2 million were because of lead paint. Toys were pulled from the shelves of retailers, media frenzy ensued and public pressure was mounting. By the time the dust had settled from the recall, Mattel had recalled over 19 million toys that were produced in China. Their stock price had declined as they took a $40 million charge for the recalls and their cost increased. Customers were threatening to boycott Mattel and all toys that were made in China. When it appeared nothing could get worse for Mattel, congress sent a letter in 2008 charging that Robert was not honoring the commitment he made to the public during the initial recall incident (Pearce & Robinson, 2011). Mattel had to determine what next steps they would take to recover from such a crisis and move quickly in order to protect their brand. Mattel had to identify an approach to the recalls that would enable them to protect the Mattel brand and their reputation while not undermining their intent to be the â€Å"World’s Premiere Toy Brand – Today and Tomorrow† (Pearce & Robinson, 2011). Moving forward a solution this type of dilemma should include increased quality control efforts in all areas, increased audits and inspections to retain compliance with industry standards. Chinese policy makers would also need to review their policies and change the countries practices to reduce such problems. In the months after the recall China announced high profile inspections and clampdowns on quality. Another solution would be for producers could subject individual shipments of toys to the same box-by-box inspection that is now applied to pet food additives. China could also force exporters to conform to foreign food and product safety standards, even if they exceed China’s own laws (Oneal, Callahan, & Osnos, N. D. ). Current safety checks in place, including independent audits would need to be reviewed as they did not prevent the chain of events leading to the recall (Story, 2007). There are many different solutions mentioned above that could work together to minimize the likelihood of such massive recalls in the future. Mattel should increase its quality controls for the toy industry, especially for product produced in China. The company and its subsidiaries should comply with the suggested standards of the CPSC Toy Safety Standards which can inspect, monitor, prosecute and even fine for defects. Mattel should report a defect or recall within 24 hours of discovery which did not happen in this case and lead to many distraught consumers that had lost faith in the Mattel brand. Instead of shifting blame to producers in China, Mattel needs to realize that it was their choice to produce in China and therefore the producers are not completely at fault. Mattel also needs to determine the root cause of the problem in order to perform corrective action and prevent it from happening again. Increased quality control and testing should be implemented immediately after a recall of this magnitude. Investigations should take place immediately and continue ongoing until it is deemed that all quality control issues have been addressed. Mattel should take appropriate actions with its producers if it finds that their safety procedures were knowingly ignored. In this case Mattel worked to intercept incoming shipments to keep potentially hazardous problems from being placed on store shelves. Mattel should continue to focus on protecting children from lead-tainted imports (Pearce & Robinson, 2011). In conclusion, in preparation for another scenario similar to the toy recall, Mattel could incorporate the following objectives into their action plan. Objective 1: Get all pertinent information about the recall to the public accurately, efficiently and quickly. Objective 2: Reassure consumers, parents especially, that Mattel is committed to making the safest toys, fixing the problem and being honest and open. Objective 3: Take responsibility for the recall, Mattel should solve the problem while maintaining a stable relationship with producers in China (Mattel Toy Recall, 2007).

Malnutrition in Children Essay

Malnutrition in children is one of the most important social and health problem that face the young children in the modern world. Whether it is in the developed world or the under developed world, nutrition among the children has evolved to be a very important issue. Today’s children are faced with numerous physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and health challenges due to malnutrition. While a child in a poor neighborhood in Africa is sleeping hungry, a child in a middle class neighborhood in the United States is over indulging in unhealthy junk foods. Malnutrition is therefore an important social and health problem in all parts of the world. There is however a misconception that malnutrition in children only affects children in poor society where there is wide spread hanger, but this is no longer true. The over indulgence of unhealthy junk foods which are deficient in essential nutrients such as vitamin, poor living conditions, malabsorption and inadequate access to nutritional education and information on healthy eating are some of the many factors that force parents to make wrong choices in the quality of food they serve their children. Consequently, the number of children suffering from nutritional deficiency and related health complication such as obesity, poor growth and development and diseases has increased significantly. It is the role of the government through the relevant agencies and department to implement nutritional education through a national education strategy to ensure that the general public is well informed on the good eating habits as well as the consequences of malnutrition especially in young children (Dalton, 2005). Causes of Malnutrition in children Malnutrition is an important health problem in children due to its impacts on their growth and development. It is a condition that results from deficiency of essential nutrients such as vitamins, mineral salts and protein among others which are needed for the maintenance of health body functioning. Malnutrition can either occur as a result of under or over nourishment of a child with particular nutrients. Therefore majority of children suffer from malnutrition in the developed world today because of dietary imbalance rather than the deficiency of nutrient as it is common in the under developed world. Malnutrition can be caused by several factors which include poor diet and lack of adequate education on health eating habits. a) Diet One of the major causes of nutritional imbalance among children is the diet. Either parents influence their children directly or indirectly into improper selection of food or the modern society has over indulged in junk foods. Due to numerous promotions and advertisements in the mass media, children find fast foods more desirable. These may be snacked crisps, parked cakes and biscuit and other ready to eat meals. These fast foods have poor quality nutrients and ingredients which are manufactured to look special using large amount of fats and sugars, artificial preservative and additives which have negative effects on the individual’s health. There is no doubt that jack foods are processed food, ready to eat. These foods pass through the factories where the essential goodness of natural foods is removed and replaced with artificial additives and sweeteners. It is interesting to note that despite these fast foods having a long list of additives and preservatives on their labels in the name of ingredients, parents continues feeding their children in these foods. Moreover, many of the ingredients in junk foods such as fats, sugars, salts and additives are unhealthy to the children. The short term and long-term of such ingredients are well known. Junk foods are also deficient in essential dietary components such as fiber, minerals and vitamins which are very essential in growth and development in children. The dietary imbalance in children as a result of junk food is very event in the American society today (French, et al, 2001). It is important to note that one of the major causes of malnutrition in children is the choices of foods. Either knowingly or unknowingly, parents buy their children junk foods which are deficient in essential nutrients but have high level of unhealthy ingredients. There are several reasons that make individuals to make bad choices of foods. It is also important to note that the parent may not feed his children on junk food but end up preparing food that is unhealthy to the child due to bad choices. In many cases, especially in the underdeveloped world, parents may be forced by circumstances to make wrong choices for the foods they give their children. Poverty and food insecurity in some poor countries leaves parents with very limited choices of food resulting into malnutrition in children. Food prices in the developed world may also force poor parents to make wrong choices of foods. However, the most important factor that determines the food choice parent give to their children is the level of education and the nutritional information held by the parent (Hills, et al, 2007). b) Education Research indicates that many children are malnourished not because of unavailability of food and essential dietary components but because of the information held by parents and guardians. People who have the responsibility of providing their children with food have very little or no information on the quality of food they are expected to give their children. For example, the food and agricultural organization has argued that about 80 percent of malnourished individuals especially children live in areas around the world that have sufficient food supplies. Although poverty and food prices are also important factors, the level of information on implications of unhealthy eating habits is an important factor. In the American society, children are not malnourished because of inadequate food supplies but because of the choices of food. Children in America and other developed countries are increasingly becoming obese due uptake of unhealthy foods. There are no proper mechanisms of educating parents on health eating habits in children which as resulted into the society relying in misinformation from promotions and advertisements in the mass media. For example, inadequate breast feeding in infants is one of the major causes of nutritional imbalance in young children. Although there are many factors that contribute to poor breastfeeding such as changing lifestyles and job demands, lack of education on its importance on the health of the child id the most important factor (Hills, et al, 2007). Effects of Malnutrition in Children a) Obesity Over the years, obesity in children in the American society has reached epidemic levels. The percentage of children suffering from obesity in the American society has risen from below five percent in 1960s to over twenty percent today. Obesity has evolved from a condition that was in the past common among the rich families to a problem in the entire society. The number of children from poor families and middle class families suffering from obesity has increased significantly. Due to the increased prevalence of obesity among the young population, it has been rated as one of the most important health concern (Peter, 2005). The principle cause of obesity in children is unhealthy eating habits. Other factors may include genetic makeup, medical and psychological factors as well as lifestyles. The parents eating habits has been considered to be the biggest influence that play a significant role in the development of obesity in young people. Consequently, over weight parents have over weight children not because of genetic makeup but due to poor eating habits. Doctors have confirmed that the parents are not feeding their children with the right food which resulting into nutritional imbalance. The increased dependence on junk food as well as sedentary lifestyles adopted in the western world where children have not time for physical exercise has created a nation where a third of the children are over weight. This may be a time bomb since this creates a generation that will be faced with numerous health complications such as diabetes, high blood cholesterol and heart diseases (Dietz, 1998). b) Diseases Inadequate supply of essential dietary nutrients to the body in children is exhibited in various forms of diseases and disorders. It is important to note that the world health organization maintains that malnutrition and related complications is the most important health problem facing children in the world being the largest cause of child mortality globally, either directly or indirectly. Majority of malnutrition diseases are caused by lack or inadequate supply of essential nutrients. These diseases include marasmus, kwashiorkor, anemia and hyponatremia to mention but a few. Marasmus is caused by calories deficient, kwashiorkor by acute protein deficient, anemia by lack of iron and hyponatremia by lack of sodium. These deficient diseases are more common in the developing world due to widespread poverty and food insecurity. There are other numerous diseases that are caused by lack of essential vitamins and minerals. Other disorders that have been associated with poor eating habits includes eating disorders, anorexia nervosa and bulimia, stress disorders and depression, risk of drug abuse, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and poor development of reproductive systems (Allen & Myers, 2006). Prevention of the malnutrition in children There is no doubt that malnutrition is both a national and international problem. Due to the large number of children with nutritional imbalance condition, the resultant health complication in the future may be overwhelming to the national health systems. It is therefore important for the relevant authority to implement the most appropriate educational programs that will educate the public especially parents on feeding children with health diets. Strategies that encourage adequate breastfeeding of infants and the dangers of unhealthy junk foods are recommended. Educating the parent to change their lifestyles and take responsibility of their children’s eating habit is also essential. Educating parents of obese children for example will assist them identify the root cause of the problem and design an intervention plan. It is also important for the parents to be aware of the nutritional need of their children which can be provided through civic education strategies (Hills, et al, 2007). The influence of the mass media in the modern world is not in doubt. Manufacturers of junk foods have bombarded the young people with advertisement which has had a significant influence on their eating habits. The same mass media can be used as a channel of educating the public on the importance of eating healthy foods. Media campaigns and advertisement that discourage unhealthy eating habits and educates people on dangers of malnutrition as well as nutritional requirement can possibly reverse the situation. However, these media promotions and advertisement should be carried out carefully to avoid magnifying the already developing social stigma against overweight members of the society. Promotion of physical education in school and encouraging children to involve themselves in physical exercises such as playing sport, walking a dog or riding a bicycle should be a top priority. There should be no excuse for physical education in schools while the parents should discourage passive activities at home such watching TV or playing computer games (French, et al, 2001). Conclusion Over indulgence in unhealthy junk foods rather that inadequate food supply is the most important form of malnutrition among American children today. These foods are deficient in essential dietary component and have high amounts of fats, sugars, salts, artificial additives and preservatives that have negative effects on children’s health. There is a need for the government through the relevant departments to implement policies and strategies that will save the children from malnutrition. This includes educating the parents on appropriate food for the children and promoting physical exercises among children. Strategies to combat numerous commercial advertisements of junk foods which make them look more attractive compared to healthy home made food should be developed and implemented. These policies should go hand in hand with ensuring increased access to quality and affordable foodstuffs. Reference Allen, R. E. & Myers, A . L (2006). â€Å"Nutrition in toddlers†. American family physician 74 (9): 1527–32. Blossner, M. & Mercedes, O. (2005). Malnutrition, quantifying the health impact at national and local levels, retrieved on August 18th 2010 from; http://whqlibdoc. who. int/publications/2005/9241591870. pdf. Dalton, S. (2005). Our Overweight Children: What Parents, Schools, and Communities Can Do to Control the Fatness Epidemic, Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press, Dietz, W. H (1998). â€Å"Health consequences of obesity in youth: childhood predictors of adult disease†. Pediatrics 101 (3 Pt 2): pp 518–25. French S. A, Story, M, Neumark-Sztainer, D, Fulkerson J. A, Hannan P. (2001). â€Å"Fast food restaurant use among adolescents: associations with nutrient intake, food choices and behavioral and psychosocial variables†. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord. 25 (12): 1823–33 Hills, A. P. , King, N. A. & Byrne, N. M. (2007). Children, obesity and exercise: prevention, treatment and management of childhood and adolescent obesity, New York, NY: Routledge Peter, G. K. (2005). Clinical obesity in adults and children: In Adults and Children. Hoboken, NJ: Blackwell

Night Mother by Kurt Vonnegut

Mother Night What intrigued me the most when reading Mother Night, by Kurt Vonnegut, were the quotes. He says things in a way that really make you step back and think. You could almost tell this book??? ‚a„? s story by discussing some of the quotes. In Mother Night, apolitical expatriate American playwright Howard W. Campbell, Jr. refashions himself as a Nazi propagandist in order to pass coded messages on to the U. S. generals and preserve his marriage to a German woman??? ‚aâ‚ ¬? their "nation of two," as he calls it. But in serving multiple masters, Campbell ends up ruining his life and becoming an unwitting inspiration to bigots. quot;We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be. " Vonnegut introduces this as the moral of his book. "There are plenty of good reasons for fighting, but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty Himself hates with you, too. " It's never been more true: Left or right, Christian or Muslim, those convinced they're doing violence in service of a higher power and against an irretrievably inhuman enemy are the most dangerous creatures of all. But is Howard really such a bad man?All throughout reading the book, I would ask myself that question. No he doesn??? ‚a„? t seem to show much emotion, but doesn??? ‚a„? t that in a way seem understandable when you think about all he??? ‚a„? s done and seen? If he were to show emotion, he would go crazy. I know I would. Though he does seem to have a conscience, somehow, somewhere, deep down inside he is trapped. Trapped inside of the mess he??? ‚a„? s gotten himself into. I think he knows to that there is no way out, so he remains as this man he has pretended to be for so many years.Howard writes his story from a jail cell in old Jerusalem in 1961, while awaiting a fair trial for his war crimes by the republic of Israel. He is has a d ifferent guard for different parts of the day and night. One of them is Mengel. You are the only man I ever heard of,??? ‚N? Mengel says to me this morning, ??? ‚Nswho has a bad conscience about what he did in the war. Everybody else, no matter what he did, is sure a good man could not have acted in any other way.??? ‚N? ??? ‚NsWhat makes you think I have a bad conscience???? ‚N? I said. ??? ‚NsThe way you sleep, the way you dream,??? ‚N? e said. Howard tells Mengel about New York. ??? ‚Ns ??? ‚NsNew York must be Heaven,??? ‚N? said Mengel. ??? ‚NsIt might well be for you??? ‚N? , I said. ??? ‚NsIt was Hell for me,- or not Hell, something worse then Hell.??? ‚N? ??? ‚NsWhat could be worse then Hell???? ‚N? he said. ??? ‚NsPurgatory,??? ‚N? I said. ??? ‚Ns It??? ‚a„? s interesting that he says that, because that proves right there that Howard Campbell is very aware of the crimes he??? ‚a„? s committed, the difference between right and wrong, good and bad. He knows that he is there in that cell because he is paying the price.He must suffer for all that he has done. ??? ‚NsI was deposited on to the streets of New York, restored to the mainstream of life. I took several steps down the sidewalk when something happened. It was not guilt that froze me; I had taught myself never to feel guilt. It wasn't the fear of death; I had taught myself to think of death as a friend. It was not the thought of being unloved that froze me; I had taught myself to do without love. What froze me was the fact that I had absolutely no reason to move in any direction. What had made me move through so many dead and pointless years was curiosity.Now even that flickered out.??? ‚N? What a lonely life that must be, to feel you have nothing to live for. To know that all that has kept you going in the past was curiosity. Helga is dead, (or so he assumes) Resi is dead, the man he called his best friend had intentions of betraying him for so long, and now he is gone. People hate him, want to kill him, others think he is dead and are glad, and then there are those that admire him for all the terrible things he??? ‚a„? s done. Though he can??? ‚a„? t even seem to feel proud, because unlike so many others who committed such crimes as his, he is not a sociopath.

The effectiveness of Chemical Compounds in Brassica vegetables in the Essay

The effectiveness of Chemical Compounds in Brassica vegetables in the Prevention of Colorectal Cancer - Essay Example The chemical compounds in vegetables known to treat and prevent cancer include phytochemicals, isoprenoids and pigments (Govind & Madhuri, 2011). Vegetable pigments in particular – flavonoids, carotenoids and anthocyanins – are the main chemical components of Brassica vegetables, the group of vegetables known to significantly prevent the occurrence of one of the deadliest cancers in the body – colorectal cancer (Cartea et al. 251). In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the United States, after lung cancer and preceding breast cancer (â€Å"Colorectal Cancer,† 2011). The antioxidant properties of various chemicals called flavonoids in Brassica vegetables prevent colon cancer as well as other forms of cancer, thus there is a need to take a closer look at these chemicals. Chemicals in Brassica Vegetables and their Benefits in Colorectal Cancer Prevention The over 3,500 sp ecies of Brassica or cruciferous vegetables include those from the family Brassicaceae or Cruciferae – kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, turnip, oilseed, and mustard (Cartea et al., 2011). These vegetables contain a number of chemicals such as vitamins, fiber, soluble sugars, minerals, carotenoids, glucosinolates, minerals and most of all, phenolic compounds (Cartea et al., 2011). Additionally, folic acid and selenium may also be present (Kumar & Andy, 2011). It is, however, the phenolics that account for the anti-cancer properties of Brassica vegetables (Cartea et al., 2011). There are around 8,000 naturally-occurring phenolic compounds with at least one aromatic ring and one or more hydroxyl groups attached to it (Cartea et al., 2011). Among the most widespread of the phenolics are the flavonoids, which contain 15 carbons with two aromatic rings connected by a three-carbon bridge (Cartea et al., 2011). The flavonoids act as scavengers of free radicals and inhibit hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes (Kumar & Andy, 2011). The free radicals eliminated by flavonoids include hydroxyl radicals, superoxide anion radicals and lipid peroxy radicals (Kumar & Andy, 2011). These radicals rob the body of the oxygen needed to promote a cancer-free internal environment. Moreover, flavonoids are also anti-inflammatory (Kumar & Andy, 2011). Flavonoids reduce the number of immobilized leucocytes that result from injury to the tissues during a disease, which then leads to decrease in total serum complement – a mechanism associated with a reduction in inflammation of the tissue (Nijveldt et al., 2001). The most widespread type of flavonoids are the flavonols and it is this particular subtype that is particularly the anti-cancer components of Brassica vegetables (Cartea, et al., 2011). The most common of the flavonols are quercetin and kaempferol, which are richest in amount in the leaves (Cartea et al., 2011). More specifically, quercetin, which is also found in French bean and red and yellow piyaz, has been known for its anticarcinogenic properties (Govind & Madhuri, 2011). Figure 1. Quercetin (http://www.3dchem.com/molecules.asp?ID=445) Figure 2. Kaempferol (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Kaempferol.png) Among the Brassica vegetables, it is red cabbage that has the highest antioxidant content and this is closely followed by green cabbage, mustard

Green Building and Sustainability Research Paper

Green Building and Sustainability - Research Paper Example The building life cycle entail; maintenance, design, renovation, operation and demolition. The United States green building council developed a set of rating system targeting operation, design and construction of such buildings. The rating system is called leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED). Green building focuses on finding the balance between sustainable and home building environment (Slessor & Linden, 2007).. The benefits of green buildings are unquestionable. The designers are able to develop harmless, environmentally friendly and energy efficient buildings. Unlike convectional building s which utilize too much of the natural resources, green building consumes renewable resources such as plants, rainwater and sunlight. Such buildings are usually certified by LEED. Some of the benefits of green buildings targets cost, energy efficient, water efficiency and material efficiency. Green buildings are usually expensive during construction period but many benefits are accrued during their usage. It has great benefit of reducing both the operating and embodied energy consumption (Gissen, 2003). Other forms of energy such as hydro and wind power are used to provide energy for consumption. Green buildings utilize rain water which is a renewable resource. The water used in the building is also recycled. On the other hand, green buildings present a number of limitations such as ineffective air cooling features. The materials utilized in building such houses are usually inadequate and may not be available in rural areas. The cost of constructing green buildings is usually high at the beginning even though it pays off during its lifetime (Engel-Yan et al,

Argument and Persuasion essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Argument and Persuasion - Essay Example The United States is influencing the rest of the world through its culture and products, but the United States is also influenced by the culture of other countries. The United States is composed of different ethnicities and religions – the Jews, the Christians, the Muslims, the Hindus, and the Buddhists, and these ethnicities and religions have been absorbed and assimilated by Americans as part of their own culture. Traditional practices in medicine have also been integrated into our practice because of the proven benefits that they have managed to bring forth to patients and our country in general. These traditional practices include acupuncture, acupressure, and some herbal medications (Andrzejczyk, p. 96). Mega-corporations from other countries have also managed to make good business here in the United States, including Toyota, Sony, and Mitsubishi. Feng Shui, a distinctly Chinese practice is also being applied in many homes and by many designers in the United States. Through these practices there has been a mutual global cultural exchange, making it possible for different countries to be in closer contact with each other and to be more in touch with other countries. According to the â€Å"One Ku (cool) Language for All,† (Andrzejczyk, p. 149) the use of English as a universal language has also made it possible for nations to relate and communicate with each other as traders and as businessmen. The shift in this globalized world and the use of English represents a more willing participation of countries as global players in the economy. The common language has also managed to make our world smaller and easier for people to embrace and conceptualize. Just as globalization brings forth benefits, it can also bring about negative consequences. Its negative consequences are on the effects of the culture in the country where it is introduced, especially when it does not share the culture of the home country of the product being

Culture is a powerful component of an organization's success Essay

Culture is a powerful component of an organization's success - Essay Example Following this, the management ought to survey the existing operating environment and compare it to the new desired operating environment. The results of such a survey should provide tangible areas for action that could be used to pursue change in the overall environmental operating environment. The next agenda item would be to ensure that the relevant stakeholders are all on board. This is achievable through an analysis of the various stakeholders present in the organisational environment. Not all stakeholders may be significantly involves for each organisational business process. It has to be ensured that all stakeholders are totally engaged and committed to change with change resistance available only to a bare minimum level. A change of behaviours in the organisation would only be possible if the senior management lead through example. The senior management would have to adopt the new desired behaviours themselves to ensure that its effects trickle down to the operational level. The new desired operating environment should be institutionalised by providing structural changes, which are swift yet simple enough for the employees to understand. There would also be a need to redesign the management process as new constraints and restraints are introduced into the operating environment. The management process redesign should bolster any changes in the operating environment. It is important to keep employees motivated when they are inflicted with a changing operating environment that produces strain. In order to keep motivation levels high, employees should be recognised and rewarded when displaying the new desired behaviours. Another mechanism for strengthening the wanted behaviours is to provide formal feedback that orients employees in the desired direction. A change in the overall operating environment is only possible if both individual behaviours and group behaviours experience a significant amount

Project Propozal ( What motivete oversea student come to study in the Coursework

Project Propozal ( What motivete oversea student come to study in the United Kingdom) - Coursework Example Apart from this, the current oversea students can also benefit through this research. The aim of this research paper is to identify and analyze the factors which influence and motivate oversea students to come to study in UK. I have chosen this topic for my research because I am also an oversea student who was pretty much motivated to study in UK since very beginning but this did not proved to be something very easy for me. I had faced my obstacles in my way to achieve this highly reputable degree and now I believe that motivation is not only required at the initial stage but it is required throughout the process therefore I am working on this project with an objective to motivate students who are willing to study in UK but are unable to do so for any reason and to keep the current oversea students motivated and focused. English language was developed in England and it is their mother tongue. All everyone speak English there accent is slightly different for the foreign students but once you get here it becomes easy for you to understand their accent and speak the language fluently. There are many factors that motivates and influence students to come and study UK in which the peaceful and committed environment of the UK plays the most important role. UK promises it students to give them the quality exposure along with an everlasting exposure and it really fulfills this promise. Motivation is basically a stimulus that drives a need to be fulfilled (Robbins 25). Not only major decisions and task are performed successfully because of motivation but also the smallest achievements are made due to motivation. For instance, you cannot perform well on a quiz if you were not motivated enough to gain good marks. There are two main components of motivation which actually encouraged a person to achieve something they are intrinsic factors and extrinsic factors. As the name indicates intrinsic

Wilma Mankiller video Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Wilma Mankiller video - Essay Example For instance, she explains that when people want to know about the current issues facing the Native Americans, they should first understand the past. She adds on this by stating that it takes the enduring strength of the Native Americans to go through the history they have had. ManKiller continues to give light on issues she feels the U.S. public should understand in totality. In her consistent embrace for the tribal ways, she explains that the tribal government prefers to take care of some issues. These include foster care, adoptions and privileges for water rights (Mankiller 100). Through this project, they have managed to avail health facilities to the locals. Clearly, this is one significant point that cannot be missed from the speech. In a way, she embraces the changes happening in the Native American societies, but mainly insists that it is necessary to keep the cultures. Interestingly, she bounces the speech with bits of sense of humor about a tourist visiting the Cherokee nation hoping to find the native Indians in full attire. However, to the tourist’s disappointment, â€Å"They’re probably all at K-mart.† (Michael

SUPPLY CHANGE Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SUPPLY CHANGE - Assignment Example Supply chain management refers to the logistics involved in managing the processes involved in availing goods from the producer to the end user. It involves efficient management of resources such as time, labor and finance to ensure that goods reach the end user (Hugos 4). Supply chain management is important for top management as it allows an organization to distribute resources in the best way possible to ensure an organization achieves its goals. It helps an organization to structure policies that will ensure that the supply chain endeavors are achieved. Supply chain management involves designing, planning, execution and monitoring supply chain activities to create value on goods that reach the consumers. Supply chain integration is difficult in the global supply chain because of various challenges, which range from cultural, technological, political cultural and logistic differences. The global supply chain is hindered by these differences because they will affect how good reach the consumers since different countries will have different rules that govern the supply chain. This means that a customers request may not be fulfilled due to the differences hence making global supply chain management

Executive Summary - Research and Evaluation Essay

Executive Summary - Research and Evaluation - Essay Example The use of e-tickets also eliminates the need to have airport counter staff and space. These can be replaced by self-servicing kiosks. The customers do not have to face the risk of losing the ticket and hence is advantageous to them as well (Williams, 2007). The use of e-tickets empower centralized staff by providing them with relevant data and information as and when required. However the technique creates problems for passengers when they have to switch planes between airlines or the flight is delayed or cancelled (Malaval and Benaroya, 2002). Along with these issues, the concept has also brought issues regarding information security and privacy (Nemati, 2006). Moreover, the concept can’t be used for infants. Apart from it, the cost of moving from a paper-based ticketing system to e-ticket requires a global tie-up and synchronized system between all the airlines of the world. This system is costly and very complex to implement (Perreaux, 2006). p-value is the probability that is in agreement with the alternate hypothesis. It is the smallest level of significance level ÃŽ ± for which the null hypothesis Ho can be rejected (Mendenhall et al., 2009) The t-test as well as the p-value confirms that the null hypothesis can not be rejected. This implies that the mean number of complaints received per month is less than or equal to 15. Hence the proposition that the number of complaints per month made by passengers has increased as a result of use of e-ticketing stands false. At the same time, e-ticketing leads to a reduction in the cost of operations of airlines. It also reduces the cost of passengers by eliminating the middlemen: travel agency. Moreover, airlines can highlight it as an initiative to save paper and environment. Hence, the use and promotion of e-tickets is strongly recommended to be done by airlines. Williams, L. (2007, September 27). From online to onboard. [Online]. Computing p.25. Available at:

Internet Essay Example for Free

Internet Essay Internet these days is very advanced because you can see that internet is everywhere like school, home, and malls as well. There is Wi-Fi where you don’t need to plug in a wire in the computer or laptop to make the internet work. I agree that internet is a useful tool for high school students because firstly, you can finish off your project or research quickly. Secondly, you can save your document into your e-mail. Thirdly you’ll be able to translate words using Google translation. Firstly, internet is a useful tool for doing assignments and research quickly because instead of taking a book out and looking for the answer would take up a lot of time. But if you would use the internet it would go faster and do it faster because the internet gathers the information instantly. Also the fact and information you look up is already on the internet and the internet is more updated then the textbook. When you would get homework in class you can find the answer on the internet within a few minutes. The textbook would take a lot of time researching and writing the answer down on a sheet of paper. But instead of that you would use the internet to research and type it on the computer because it would do faster and save time. Therefore internet is a useful tool for doing assignments and research. Secondly, internet is a useful tool for saving document on an e-mail and transferring to usb. Instead of taking your paper out and writing for hours and hours keeping it with you it would take a long time. When you do it on the computer the internet would automatically save the document. If you would write it down on a piece of paper you could have lost it any time and would have gotten ripped by a dog or your brother/sister. If you want to send it to your friend it would take a minute on the internet. When you would write it on the paper you would have to write it again to give to your friend and that would be boring or waste of time. When you want to do it on the power point you would open your e-mail, gather information from the usb and it would save time by jotting ideas straight on the computer. Thirdly, internet is a useful tool for using the Google translation. If you had to write it down you would have to use the dictionary and it would take you several hours. Instead of that you would use the Google translation that would save you a lot of time. The special thing about Google translation is that you could write any sentence or paragraph in English and then you would get the translation from another language. Also you would have to use books and dictionary to find each word and write it in a paragraph or sentence that would take you a lot of time and 88% of people use Google translation. Therefore, internet is a useful tool for Google translation. In conclusion, I agree internet is useful tool for high school students because firstly, you can finish off your project and research quickly. Secondly, you can save your document into your e-mail. Thirdly, you can use Google translation to translate words. Internet these days is very advanced because the internet is a very helpful tool and the internet helps the student complete their homework faster than it takes for a student to finish their homework by researching books and dictionaries. Now you can compare that internet is much faster and advanced then using textbook and dictionaries. Imagine using book or dictionary as a source to complete homework or any other project?

Discourse Analysis of Trumps North Korea Interactions

Discourse Analysis of Trumps North Korea Interactions The projection of power in United States-North Korea contemporary interactions Introduction Language has an essential role in the projection of political power (Foucault in Pitsoe and Letseka, 2012). Besides being an instrument for communication, it also serves as a tool for projecting power, (Bordieu, 1977), portraying certain image to the audience and turning the publics attention to particular matters (Behr, Iyengar and Cohen cited in Sirin and Villalobos, 2018). Also, language can be a tool for power to realize what it is known as the ‘holding of common sense’ (Jones and  Wareing, 1999, p. 34), so as to convey certain ideology to the extent of it being voluntarily considered by the public as part of shared system of principles, what Fairclough calls ‘the manufacture of consent’ (2001, p. 3). Already a controversial public figure, Donald Trump, since the very beginning of his mandate, has been known for his contentious discourse. His inaugural speech showed the first signs of the ‘rhetorical rift’ (Sirin and Villalobos, 2018) from his predecessor, whose positive rhetoric greatly differs from Trumps negative and sharp statements. Even though it is not rare seeing Trump explicitly addressing other countries in a discrediting way (Watkins and Phillip, 2018) and despite the fact that US-North Korean relations have been tense since the Cold War (IBP USA, 2005), new forms of communication, combined with the new US presidents fondness of public attention, among other factors, have generated a tug-of-war situation around such risky issues as international security. The aim of this essay, thus, is to analyse how power is being projected in US-North Korea interactions through discourse analysis. In terms of methodology, several texts will be studied. Speeches pronounced by US President Donald Trump and North Korean government statements have been chosen for this matter. Prior to our analysis, it is important to address the fact that North Korea public communication features a high level of censorship, scoring the last place in the Reporters without Borders â€Å"2017 World Press Freedom Index† (Reporters Without Borders, 2017). Regarding texts issued by the United States side, the sources consulted have official status (The White House and Donald Trumps official Twitter) but the Government of North Korea does not have an open-access official website in English. For this reason, the only primary source is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea: Rodong Sunmun. In terms of the procedure, the essay will be focused firstly on a general study of the elements of communication; secondly, it will consider grammar analysis; and thirdly, as pects related to the lexical level will be addressed. This way, the projection of power will be assessed through these elements following a Critical Discourse Analysis model, as according to Simpson and Mayr ‘it is the most comprehensive attempt to develop a theory of the interconnectedness of discourse, power, ideology and social structure’ (2010, p. 51). Discourse Analysis Elements of communication For this section, we will use, among others, the Jakobson criteria model presented in Barbara Johnstones book Discourse Analysis (Jakobson in Johnstone, 2002, p.220), which includes an ‘addresser’, an ‘addressee’ and ‘message’. In the first speech presented, Remarks by President Trump to the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (Trump, 2017) these components will play a very important role. The addresser is Donald Trump in the sense that he is the direct source. However, in the first line, he states that ‘it is a profound honor to stand here in my home city, as a representative of the American people, to address the people of the world.’ (Trump, 2017). This is the first sign of power projection: with this statement, Trump is implying that everything he will mention comes not only from him but is also endorsed by the people in his country. In other words, his message is not personal; it comes from the United States to the world and, indirectly, to North Korea. This is not the case with State of the Union Speech, as it is targeted at the United States in particular and not at an international organization as the United Nations. Thus, due to the different nature of both communications, both messages will have different repercussions in terms of projection of power as there is an increase in legitimacy by including addressees in the message (Johnstone, 2002, p.46). In the case of North Korea examples, we see that Kim Jong-Un himself is hardly ever the person who directly conveys the message but a government official. In the first example, the addresser is the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Nonetheless, in the other selected text, he is the one to deliver the response to Trump’s speech in the Office of the United Nations, fact which could be considered as a way to project power itself, as he only speaks in very rare occasions (Smith, 2017) and this is one of them. Regarding the addressee, it is important to underline that there are some differences in terms of direct referencing. North Koreas discourse displays direct explicit references of the United States. In Trump speeches, however, this is highly dependent on the context where the discourse takes place. While speeches thought to be delivered in an international scenario, such as the one pronounced in the Office of the United Nations, feature a more serious rhetoric, it is not uncommon to find direct descriptions, like Rocket Man in communications coming directly from Trump in more informal contexts or channels of communication, such as Twitter. On the other hand, as stated before, North Korea lacks this individual dimension as statements hardly ever come from its leader himself. It terms of projection of power, this clearly states a difference: Donald Trump is a public figure, as the president of the United States but also, as an individual persona with his own opinions. Kim Jong-Un, on t he other hand, not only is not separated from his position (he does not have a private channel of communication) but does not appear in the public international scenario. This way, an image of unreachability is portrayed, as if he did not participate directly in this issue.  Ã‚   Finally, the channel of communication is also worth mentioning. Donald Trump is an avid Twitter user (36,900 tweets) (Trump, 2018b), which can be used not only as a way of communication but also as a way of portraying influence. The very same act of communicating by social media has a strong connotation in terms of projecting power. In the first place, due to its spontaneous nature, this tool enables to reach a high number of people (Sirin and Villalobos, 2008) in seconds. Most importantly, ‘joint discourse activitycreates and affirmed shared membership in a community of practice’ (Wenger in Johnstone, 2002, p.116). Twitter has its own textual conventions. Due to its capacity of reach the public and the brevity of the messages, language tends to be direct and informal. Even though political discourse is ‘highly stylized and predictable most of the time’ (Edelman in Lim, 2008, p. 4), it is highly noticeable how Trumps discourse through social media is nowhere near traditional presidential rhetoric and his remarks feature almost bantering language. We can see this in the well-known nuclear button tweet, where he states that his button ‘is bigger than the North Korean leaders’ (Trump, 2018b). It would be relevant to think that this is part of a political strategy in the sense that power can be projected by highly intellectual rhetoric but also by disregarding the formality aspect expected taking into account the type of interaction (Fairclough, 2001). In simpler words, informal language could be used to downplay North Korean threats. On the other hand, North Koreas official channel of communication is a perfect example of one of Faircloughs ideas. He supports that the access to discourse itself is as much of a good as economic wealth (Fairclough, 2001). If one were to access the Korea Central News Agency, it would be impossible to find much information, as access is highly restricted and the system does not allow to search for more than a couple of statements if subscription is not paid. Thus, the channel of communication is this case is a tool for projecting power by not providing information, being the exact opposite of Trumps case.   Grammar Agency in voices In the first place, we are going to analyse these texts in terms of grammar as ‘grammatical and semantic forms can be used as ideological instruments’ (Fowler et al. cited in Simpson and Mayr, 2010, p. 50). To start with, our study will focus on agency. Agency is expressed in grammar through the use of the passive or the active voice as this is a way to determine which participants are actors and which ones are the recipients of the action. One significant trait of the selected extracts from Trump is the lack of use of passive voice except for two cases which will be later addressed. We can see that in ‘Authority and authoritarian powers seek to collapse the values, the systems, and alliances that prevented conflict’ (Trump, 2018a), where the fact that North Korea (or authoritarian regimes) is trying to end with the current state of peace is stated indirectly. Also Trump is making an implicit reference, which can be used in political discourse as a way to ev ade responsibility (Simpson and Mayr, 2010, p.43). We find another example in this same text: ‘no regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or brutally than the cruel dictatorship in North Korea’. Again, the regime is the main actor through the use of personalization and the use of active voice. There is a change of meaning between ‘citizens have been oppressed by the regime’ and ‘the regime has oppressed the citizens’ as the centre of the action has been shifted. However, it is significant to point out that the passive voice is used twice in the extract related to North Korea in the State of the Union speech (Trump, 2018a) and it is when Trump tells the story of a North Korean defector (‘he was tortured by North Korean authorities’ and ‘his father was caught trying to escape’). In this part of the speech, the centre of the action has shifted through the use of passive voice and it is not the North Korean regi me anymore but the defector. We can see how here the human factor is what is important, appealing to the more emotional aspect by making this defector the passive subject of the sentence. There are similar strategies in North Korean’s response. While the majority of sentences in the text are introduced by verbs in active voice, there are some cases where subjects have been changed into objects. We can see this in ‘the prevailing serious circumstances, in which the situation on the Korean peninsula has been rendered tense as never before’ (The New York Times, 2017). The agent is unknown, which can be, according to Johnstone, due to the fact that it is ‘unknown,  obvious  or  unimportant’ as well as a way of hiding  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœan  agent  who  is  known’ (2002, p. 46). However, although the attempt to conceal the agent could be argued, it is noticeable that the same verb (to render) has been used just a line below (‘Trump has rendered the world restless through threats and blackmail against all countries in the world’), this time in active voice, with a clear agent, establishing thus a direct link between the existing tension and the President’s actions. There is a similar case: ‘Should the Korean peninsula and the world be embroiled in the crucible of nuclear war because of the reckless nuclear war mania of the U.S.’ (Rodong News Team, 2017), where the use of the passive voice and the verb â€Å"embroil† suggest that this situation is almost circumstantial, as neither Korea nor the world would be taking part in this conflict and would find themselves in the middle of a war. Agency in pronouns As Fairclough mentions, pronouns in English can establish different relations (2001). In Trumps statements, it is worth noting that the first person of the plural form appears throughout the whole text (i.e. ‘our military will soon be the strongest’ or ‘the scourge of our planet’). The sentence ‘I intend to address some of the very serious threats before us today’, which belongs to the United Nations speech, is particularly revealing. With this statement, Trump is essentially conveying that North Korean threat is not only an attack to his country, but the addressees as well: this matter involves the world and not just one nation. However, it is also important to point out that the use of the pronoun â€Å"we†, especially as inclusive, can be used to ‘obscure responsibility and agency’ and a method to ‘share responsibilities’ (Simpson and Mayr, 2010, p. 44). In this case, taking into consideration that the address ee is the United Nations and that Donald Trump does not usually hide his intentions towards North Korea, it would be more appropriate to think that he is trying to convey a message of unity against this country, an attempt to engage the rest of nations, instead of aiming at concealing his opinions. In consequence, by using this pronoun, power has shifted, as now it would not be US against North Korea but North Korea against the United Nations. Unlike Trumps statement at the United Nations, Kim Jong-Un response contains just one inclusive pronoun. As it has been mentioned, it is very rare that the Korean leader himself delivers a speech personally. Nonetheless, he is the direct addresser in this response and he shows it by always using the pronoun I. This way, Kim Jong-Un’s statement is portrayed as a reaction to a personal attack. Trumps words were not only targeted at North Korea but his leader himself. Thus, the figure of the leader, already very prominent in this nation, is even more enhanced. Power, in this case, is portrayed by focusing the interaction solely on one (or two, with Trump) participants. Lexical aspects We have also regarded the analysis of vocabulary as something very relevant, as ‘choices about naming and wording deciding what to call something can constitute a claim about it’ (Johnstone, 2002, p. 46) In this regard, we will consider referencing and metaphors. In other words, we will focus in the way each participant refers to the other. It is usual to find implicit referencing to North Korea in Trump’s discourse and many times this is done using metaphors, which are well-known to the public such as the famous ‘fire and fury’ (NBC News, 2017). In the selected texts, we can find that Trump talks about authoritarian regimes as ‘the scourge of our planet’ (Trump, 2017) without mentioning directly North Korea. However, he mentions it a line below as a way of example. This strategy appears in Johnstone’s book Discourse Analysis under the name of â€Å"presupposition†, where the public is ‘delivering information implicitl y and leaving it to the hearer to deduce meaning and make assumptions’ (Johnstone, 2002, p.43). The same strategy is used the same text: ‘if the righteous many do not confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph’. In this case, he refers to these regimes (and, ultimately, North Korea) as â€Å"wicked† but, more importantly, he is implicitly referring with the word â€Å"righteous† not only to himself, as taking into account that this speech is pronounced at the United Nations, this serves as an appeal to engage for the rest of countries.    Lastly, in his speech for the State of the Union of 2018, several references are made through metaphors which are related to the idea of North Korea being a nation deprived from freedom. We can see that in the final part, where Trump tells the story of a North Korean defector, is a metaphor itself. This is becomes clear in the final sentence he states saying that Seong-hos tale is a ‘testament to the yearning of every human soul to live in freedom’. Regarding North Korea, Kim Jong-Un’s use of metaphors is also quite relevant. In the response speech (The New York Times, 2017), a constant metaphor exists in which the North Korean leader associates Trump with an animal, specifically, a dog. We can see that in the idiomatic sentence ‘a frightened dog barks louder’. This implicit reference becomes explicit at the end of the speech, (‘I will surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged U.S. dotard with fire’), through the use of the verb â€Å"to tame† which, according to the Oxford Dictionary online, means ‘make less powerful and easier to control’ but also ‘to domesticate (an animal)’. He also uses the expression ‘with fire’, retaking Trump’s statement (‘fire and fury’), which could be considered as a response. Also in this speech, we can see that, while he refers to himself as ‘a man representing the DPRK’, appealing to the â€Å"Democratic† in ‘Democratic Popular Korean Republic’ he calls Trump ‘the man holding the prerogative of the supreme command in the US’, appealing to the fact that he is the sole person holding the power. In terms of projection of power, metaphors are an essential part of political discourse as they can ‘change the addressee’s perspective on the referent or topic that is the target of the metaphor, by making the addressee look at it from a different conceptual domain or space’ (Steen, 2008, p.22) and ‘an important means of conceptualizing political issues and constructing world views’ (Charteris-Black, 2004, p. 48). In this case, we can state that they are a resource to engrain in public opinion a certain association so the audience can identify an idea with a concept belonging to their reality, which Simpson and Mayr refer to as â€Å"target domain† and â€Å"source domain† respectively (2010, p.43). Conclusions From our analysis we can conclude that power is being portrayed in the language of North Korea-US interactions in different ways: in the first place, by an increase of legitimacy on the part of Donald Trump by including the American people and the United Nations as addressers. Secondly, by making explicit references. We see a change in the language of Donald Trump in cases where the addressees differ. While in an international context, references are more implicit, we see an â€Å"explicitation† process when the speech is pronounced at a national event or come through a personal way channel of communication. Thirdly, by restricting access to information. Finding official statements made by Donald Trump is much easier than finding North Korean official sources. Information from this country, thus, would be reserved only to a few people. In this regard, the exposure to the public is also relevant. The North Korean leader does not appear usually in the media which, on the one hand, portrays an image of unreachability and, on the other, increases the importance of the occasions when he does. Fourthly, by the position of agency through the use of active and voice and pronouns. Shifting agency is useful when portraying to the audience who does what. Lastly, through the use of metaphors, also present on both sides. While Trump intends to lead the public to assumptions and evoke the emotional side of the story, Kim Jong-Un uses this resource for the portrayal of authority downplaying Trump’s and this, establishing an asymmetrical relation of power. As Simpson and Mayr state (2010, p.4) ‘language is influenced by ideology’. By analysing the elements studied in this essay, it can be said that ideology can also be affected by language. In the case of United States-North Korean interactions, where current events keep changing the international scenario and taking into account that ‘discourse is one of the principal activities through which ideology is circulated and reproduced’ (Foucault in Johnstone, 2002, p.45), it will be relevant to keep observing both countries’ discourse from the projection of power perspective.    Bibliography Bourdieu, P. (1977)  Outline  of  a  theory  of  practice. Cambridge: Cambridge  University  Press   Charteris-Black, J. (2004) Corpus Approaches to Critical Metaphor Analysis. Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave. Macmillan Fairclough, N. (2001)  Language  and  power. 2nd edition. London: Longman IBP USA (2005) Us Korea North Political and Economic Relations Handbook. Washington DC: International Business Publications. Johnstone,  B. (2002)  Discourse  Analysis.  Oxford:  Blackwell   Jones, J., S. Wareing (1999) Language and politics. In: Thomas, L. and S. Wareing. eds. Language, society and power. London and New York: Routledge, pp. 31-47. Lim, E.T. (2008)  The  anti-intellectual presidency. New York: Oxford University Press   NBC News (2017) Donald Trump: North Korea Will Be Met With Fire And Fury [online]. Available from: Youtube [accessed 3 February 2017] Pitsoe, V.   M.,  Letseka  (2012)  Foucault’s Discourse and Power: Implications for Classroom Management. Open Journal of Philosophy, 3(1), pp. 23-28 Reporters without Borders (2017) 2017 World Press Freedom Index. Reporters Without Borders [online], 26 April. Available from: https://rsf.org/en/ranking {accessed 1 February 2018] Rodong News Team, (2017) FM Spokesman on Planned Joint Aerial Drill by U.S. and S. Korea. Rodong Sinmun [online], 5 December. Available from: [accessed 31 January 2018] Semino, E. (2008): Metaphor in Discourse. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Simpson, P., A. Mayr (2010) Language and power: A resource book for students. London: Routledge Sirin, C. and Villalobos, J. (2018)  Rhetoric,  Public  Politics, and Security. In: Conley, R. ed.  Presidential  Leadership  and  National  Security:  The  Obama  Legacy  and Trump  Trajectory. New York: Routledge, pp. 19-42   Smith, M. (2017) Kim Jong-Un calls Trumps UN speech declaration of war and brands US president mentally deranged in rare speech. The Daily Mirror [online], 21 September. Available from: [accessed 3 February 2018] Steen, G.J. (2008) The paradox of metaphor: â€Å"Why we need a three-dimensional model for metaphor† in Metaphor & Symbol 23(4), 213-241. The New York Times (2017) Full Text of Kim Jong-un’s Response to President Trump. The New York Times [online], 22 September. Available from: [accessed 27 January 2018] Trump, D. (2018a) President Donald J. Trump’s State of the Union Address. Capitol Building, Washington, 31 January. Trump, D. (2017) Remarks by President Trump to the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Office of the United Nations in New York, 19 September. Trump, D. (2018b) 2 January. Available at: [accessed: 23 January] Watkins, E., A. Phillip (2018) Trump decries immigrants from shithole countries coming to US. CNN [online] , 12 January. Available from: [accessed 5 February 2018]

Stress Management in Low Intensity Conflict Operations

Stress Management in Low Intensity Conflict Operations CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION â€Å"Life is a long sequence of stressors† Mirza Galib General 1. Stress is an inescapable part of modern life. It is the psychological and physiological reaction that occurs when an individual perceives an imbalance between the level of demand placed upon him and his capability for meeting that demand. Stress affects individuals physiologically, emotionally and behaviourally and is linked to responses which in case of stress overloads, often results in rash or irrational behaviour. However, it is not always negative in fact, stress at optimum levels also produces a positive force or stimuli that is dynamic and often aids in tiding over difficult situations. 2. Officers, Junior Commissioned officers and men in the army are by no means insulated to the phenomenon of stress but in fact exposed to situations which tend to become stressful. Understanding of stress, therefore, plays an important role in management of personnel in the army, both in peace and in operational environments. 3. A rigid organizational structure, peculiar environmental factors, extended deployment in Counter Insurgency Operations and Combat situations often compound stress related problems in the army. These, if not tackled at an early stage results in cumulated stress effects which often surpass acceptable limits. The recent spate of suicides, fragging and fratricides provides an urgency to understand at the earliest, the maladies of stress and its effect on men officers of the army. 4. The Penguin Medical Encyclopaedia defines stress as any influence, which disturbs the natural equilibrium of the body and includes within its reference, physical injury, exposure, deprivation and all kinds of diseases and emotional disturbances. The word stress has been borrowed from Physics and Engineering where it has a precise meaning, a force sufficient enough in magnitude to distort or deform when applied to a system. For our studies the apt definition seems to be the rate of wear and tear of the mind. 5. To quote a formal definition, â€Å"Stress is defined as an adaptive response to an external situation that results in physical, psychological and / or behavioural deviations for organizational participants.[1]† It may also be defined as â€Å"failure to adapt†[2] 6. Most people view stress in a negative way but as mentioned in the previous paragraph it may be positive sometimes as it provides the extra energy to deal with tough or life threatening situations. Experts therefore agree that some stress is not only helpful but essential to keep it going for us without which we would be vegetables. Stress results from a stimulation of environment , the degree of this stimulation on the stress curve is positive to an extent but thereafter prolonged stimulations of the same kind, for example the operational environment experienced by the soldiers in Low Intensity Conflict Operations leads to manifestation of stress in the form of negative effects on the soldiers mind. High stress levels, besides manifesting in below-par performance standards during discharge of duties, are also the cause of incidents like running amok, fratricides and suicides. METHODOLOGY STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 7. To analyse the causes of stress in soldiers of Indian Army in the backdrop of its prolonged deployment in Low Intensity Conflict Operations, its manifestation in various forms and to suggest possible methods of stress management at the national, army, formation unit levels. HYPOTHESIS 8. Existing op environment in areas where the Indian Army is deployed for Low Intensity Conflict Operations coupled with prolonged deployment of troops in such areas is the main cause of stress in soldiers today which has led to an increased occurrence of stress related incidents amongst the soldiers. JUSTIFICATION OF STUDY 9. India has a 1.1 million-strong army and with 81 suicides[3] in the year 2006 stress has become one of its major worries. s given by The Indian Express show that the number of suicides per lakh personnel in the army stands at 10.8 though this is much lower than 17 for the US Army, 18 for the French and 14 of the Royal Army is still big enough to draw attention. The increasing numbers of suicide cases[4] are a cause of concern (See chart below).This fact has been proven adequately in the research carried out by Dr DS Goel of Ranchi institute of Neuropsychiatry in conjunction with command hospital northern command on â€Å"Psychological Effects of Low Intensity Operations†. Extract of the same is attached as appendix A. 10. Another alarming is the 23 cases of fratricide in 2006[5], of these 09cases were reported from Jammu and Kashmir and remaining 14 from the North East, both are areas where army is involved in Low Intensity Conflict Operations. Similar statistics also can be established in suicide cases. Why these cases did not occur in peace stations if the reasons for stress as propounded by some theories are economic growth and rising financial aspirations of the soldier is a moot question and does point to the operational environment of Low Intensity Conflict Operations as the prime reason of stress in soldiers and thus the prime nemesis to be tamed to get down the worrisome numbers of suicides and fratricides. However the effects of personal problems of the soldier causing such incidents is correct, but again if the soldier was located in a peace area he would have been in a better connected place as far as communication with his family is concerned whether it is a case of land dispute or mar ital discord or his wife not being treated well by her in laws. Most of such cases could be solved merely by the physical presence of the soldier along with his wife or parents as the case may be thus it connects to the prolonged deployment of troops in Low Intensity Conflict Operations which leads to increased domestic problems in a soldiers life. 11. In July 2009 the Honourable RM while answering to a question in the parliament stated that already 48 cases of suicides and one case of fratricide have been reported till June[6], its anybodys guess what the final for 2009 will be, whatever be the it cannot be denied that the Indian Army today is faced with the demon of stress in its soldiers. The good news is that the army has realised that this is a problem and cannot be wished away and a number of steps are being taken to tackle the issue but till such time the bigger demon of Low Intensity Conflict Operations exists and some holistic measures by the government and the army are undertaken, firstly to improve the operational environment and secondly to reduce or decrease the time which a soldier spends continuously in Low Intensity Conflict Operations areas, this demon will continue to feed on the strength of the Indian Army- the Indomitable spirit of the Indian soldier. SCOPE 12. The scope is limited to study the following aspects :- (a) Deployment pattern of Indian Army in Low Intensity Conflict Operations. (b) Operational Environment in Low Intensity Conflict Operations. (c) Manifestation of stress and its inter-relation with behaviour/performance. (d) Management of stress to include present approach its shortcomings and recommendations. OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS 13. Some terms used in this dissertation are defined below:- (a) Combat Stress[7]. The stress experienced by the soldier during a combat situation. This is a complex form of stress resulting from all the physical and mental strain caused to the soldier during the combat mission, it is cumulative in nature and the number of times the soldier goes through the same situation it causes stress and is accumulated in the mind of the combatant. (b) Stressors. The factors that cause stress are called stressors; it can be an event or situation which requires a non routine change in the lifestyle or behaviour of a soldier. This causes a felling of conflict with the ideals and values of a person or it may pose a challenge or threat to an individuals sense of wellbeing or self esteem. (c) Eustress[8]. Stress may manifest sometimes in a positive way, this effect is known as Eustress, which is described by experts as a motivator which drives a person to achieve extraordinary feats under situations of pressure. It is obvious that Eustress is not harmful being occasional. METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION 14. The research work is mainly based on books, journals available in the library, thesis and dissertation work available on the internet as also the study report of the Defence Institute of Psychological Research on the causes of inter-personal violence in the units deployed in counter insurgency areas and the study report of research carried out by Ranchi Institute of Neurosciences in collaboration with Armed Forces Medical Services, Command Hospital (Northern Command) and Director general Medical Services. Data of twenty units of infantry and artillery was also collected to prove that the existing deployment pattern and troop commitment to Rashtriya Rifles is resulting in prolonged exposure of approximately one percent of soldiers to higher stress prone areas. A detailed bibliography of sources is appended at the end of the dissertation. ORGANISATION OF THE DISSERTATION (CHAPTERISATION) 15. It is proposed to study the subject in the following manner :- (a) Chapter I Introduction. (b) Chapter II Deployment Pattern of Indian Army in Low Intensity Conflict Operations. (c) Chapter III Operational environment in Low Intensity Conflict Operations Areas. (d) Chapter IV Manifestation of Stress. (e) Chapter V Management of Stress. (f) Chapter VI Recommendations and Conclusion. CHAPTER II DEPLOYMENT PATTERN OF INDIAN ARMY IN LOW INTENSITY CONFLICT OPERATIONS â€Å"We live longer than our forefathers, but we suffer more from a thousand artificial anxieties and cares. They fatigued only muscles we exhaust the finer strength of our nerves† -Edward George Bulwer-Lytton 1. Infantry Battalions. The infantry battalions are deployed for Low Intensity Conflict Operations typically for a duration of two to three years during what is known as the field tenure, it can either be in the Northern sector (Jammu and Kashmir) or the North Eastern region. After tenure of aforesaid duration when the battalion is de-inducted from such areas to peace locations, a finite number of soldiers are sent to the affiliated Rashtriya Rifles (RR) Battalions to meet the requirement of troop commitment of Indian army to such units (Refer survey in following paragraphs). Thus a number of soldiers who have served for up to two to three years are again posted to operate in a Low Intensity Conflict Operations situation for a duration of two years and furthermore when these soldiers return from this stint it is again time for their battalion to move to field area for Low Intensity Conflict Operations, hence he again undergoes a tenure in high stress environment. In this way some sol diers end up spending up to six to seven years in Low Intensity Conflict Operations which anybody who has been there will agree is a long time. 2. Artillery Units. The case mentioned above is only slightly better for artillery, since the artillery units generally have longer peace tenures than the infantry battalions; hence a soldier after coming back, gets to spend some time in peace locations, however these personnel would have still undergone up to four years of continuous field area tenure. 3. Survey. To establish the facts mentioned in the previous paragraphs, data was collected from ten infantry battalions and ten artillery regiments. The results of the survey are given in succeeding paragraphs. 4. Infantry Battalions. Number of personnel who were dispatched to RR Battalions within one year are given as under, due to security reasons the exact identity of the units is not being revealed:- Serial Number Battalion Number of Personnel Junior Commissioned Officers Other Ranks (i) A Battalion 04 53 (ii) B Battalion 05 52 (iii) C Battalion 03 54 (iv) D Battalion 04 51 (v) E Battalion 04 52 (vi) F Battalion 04 55 (vii) G Battalion 04 52 (viii) H Battalion 04 55 (ix) J Battalion 04 51 (x) K Battalion 04 56 9 5. Artillery Regiments. A similar survey of artillery units revealed the following s:- Serial Number Regiment Number of Personnel Junior Commissioned Officers Other Ranks (i) No 1 Regiment 01 59 (ii) No 2 Regiment 02 58 (iii) No 3 Regiment 02 61 (iv) No 4 Regiment 03 58 (v) No 5 Regiment 01 56 (vi) No 6 Regiment 02 57 (vii) No 7 Regiment 03 59 (viii) No 8 Regiment 03 58 (ix) No 9 Regiment 02 57 (x) No 10 Regiment 01 60 Analysis of Data. 6. An analysis of the survey reveals the following:- (a) In the case of infantry battalions, on an average a total of four junior commissioned officers and fifty three soldiers were found who have had to undergo extended field tenure in excess of six years. (b) In case of artillery units, it can be seen from the data shown in the, table above that number of such personnel on an average is about is about fifty nine other ranks. Though artillery units are relatively better off due to reasons mentioned earlier, still these individuals still undergo an extended tenure in a Low Intensity Conflict Operations situation, and hence are over exposed to the stressful operational environment of Low Intensity Conflict Operations. 7. A further analysis reveals this to be a repetitive affair since each unit or battalion is responsible for providing relief of its personnel in Rashtriya Rifles (RR) thus when these personnel are reverted a set of similar strength is dispatched, therefore the fifty three soldiers in case of infantry battalions who were sent in the second year of the battalions peace tenure also have an extended tenure in Low Intensity Conflict Operations area, extending up to an year with Rashtriya Rifles and up to three years with their respective battalions. 8. One more interesting which emerges from the statistics[9] that the number of suicides and fratricides were much higher in Jammu and Kashmir than in the North-East. Why so? There could be number of reasons for this like intensity of operational environment, troop commitment of Army to Assam Rifles (AR) as compared to RR, better management of Low Intensity Conflict Operations due to longer experience of the Indian Army in the North East etc but the operational environment factor emerges as the singular, most differentiating aspects between the two regions. Report of study of Defence Institute of Psychological Research refers as attached as appendix B[10] also corroborates the same. CHAPTER III OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT IN LOW INTENSITY CONFLICT OPERATIONS â€Å"It is the man trained to recognize the dangers of the battlefield, understand his fears without surrendering to them and equipped with skills he must have to carryout his task, who can endure the prolonged stress of modern war† -Shelford Bidwell 1. In conventional operations battle lines are clearly drawn, one can identify the enemy easily and thus aggression can be directed unequivocally in his direction. The situation in Low Intensity Conflict Operations is quite the opposite. These are often characterised by limitations of armament being used, Tactics and levels of force applied. They are often protracted and involve military, diplomatic, economic and psychological pressure through terrorism and insurgency. Troops trained in conventional warfare experience significant stress in such operations. Conventional military training makes the soldier think in clear cut extremes of black and white, friend and foe. This tendency often leads to problems in Low Intensity Conflict Operations where the concept of ‘enemy cannot be applied to ones own population. The contributory factors, which increase the stress level on soldiers participating in Low Intensity Conflict Operations, are the product of complex interplay of the three elements involved the terrorist, the local population and the soldier. 2. Low Intensity Conflict Operations are continuous; there are no pauses and no time outs or half times. Frustrations mount when there is no breakthrough for months together and while the expectation to perform and produce results are high. The soldiers are caught in the cross fire moral Vs the immoral and the dividing lines are blurred. In sum, insurgency imposes severe stress and strain on those engaged in it[11]. 3. The operational environment in Low Intensity Conflict Operations is an ideal cauldron for manifestation of stress related problems. Some other factors which affect the soldier in such a situation are discussed in succeeding paragraphs. 4. Boredom and Isolation. The operational environment is characterised by long drawn intense activity. During the periods of lull and inactivity there are times when the imagination could run wild and seriously affect the individuals capacity to think rationally. 5. Hostile Local Population. One of the key factors for fighting and restricting insurgencies is the local populace. Due to a number of reasons such as fear of retribution by terrorists or negative propaganda against the army, the attitude of the locals towards the army is hostile. This causes considerable strain in the minds of the soldier who cant understand as to why the same people are against him to save whom he is risking his life. 6. Long Drawn Operations. These type of operations are long prolonged affair in which the inability to see the end of the tunnel is in itself quite stressful. Fatigue in such situations may be of two types. Firstly, tiring operational work in the form of sitting in long ambushes etc leads to physical exhaustion. Secondly, mental fatigue is caused by the repetitive nature of such physically exhausting missions over a long period of time, with little hope of relief. This condition can result in breakdown or even burning out. Prolonged spells of stress punctuated by quantitatively and qualitatively inadequate opportunities 7. Guilt. In Low Intensity Conflict Operations, the soldier is at a loss to understand the rationale of killing own countrymen, and hence is faced with a factor of guilt, even though he may not accept it openly for the fear of being ridiculed by peers but he sub-consciously feels a sense of guilt. 8. Human Rights Factor. The fear of being prosecuted for Human Rights violations, is always at the back of the minds of commanders at levels and thus percolates down to the soldiers in the form of unrealistic restraints and restrictions while operating in such environment. This too adds its share as stress. 9. Adverse Media Influence. The media in many cases blames the army for any collateral damage caused during an operation or sometimes blows a wrong accusation of Human rights violation against the security forces out of proportion to sell news, this is especially true for local vernacular media. They never highlight the gains of the army but would jump at a single violation, though army is now addressing this issue with its proactive media policy. 10. Separation From Families. Loneliness, domestic worries and a long wait for leave are not singular but inter-related issues all these have mutually related effects on the psyche of the soldier. Domestic worries have an adverse impact, especially so in low intensity situations wherein the soldier is as it is stressed out and is further frustrated since he cannot attend to his family problems in person. 11. Unrealistic Goals and Demands. The matters are made worse when senior commanders lay down unrealistic targets to be met in terms of terrorists killed or captured and weapons captured. The results in low intensity situations are not corporate targets to be met in a month or a quarter or a financial year they come by fits and starts and are not routine, a good month may see a good haul of Kills and there could be a lean period extending months together sometimes. The pressure to achieve results day after day in the end manifests as stress on the soldier. 12. Low intensity conflict operations are full of ambiguity and uncertainty. It should be realized by the government in general and the army hierarchy in particular that prolonged exposure to such situations is likely to make everyone, be it officers or soldiers, susceptible to stress because they are not only surviving there but are working at a faster pace everyday to deal with the uncertainty and constantly changing dynamic situations. STRESSORS PECULIAR TO LOW INTENSITY CONFLICT OPERATIONS 13. Inhospitable Terrain and Climate. The terrain and climate in which the troops are deployed in low intensity conflicts are mountainous terrain sometimes with secondary jungles and have harsh climatic conditions. The cold climate in J K and the heavy monsoons in North East make normal living in temporary habitats difficult[12]. Under such working conditions whenever there is a lack of motivation due to any reason, there is bound to be general deterioration of morale and discipline amongst the soldiers, thus this factor is an important stressor as far as the soldier is concerned. 14. Fear of Unknown. All soldiers who have been in life threatening soldiers are familiar with this phenomenon. It is the possibility of getting killed which puts a soldier under immense pressure it is omnipresent whether on duty within the company post or on operations outside the company post. It is primarily the fear of death or injury, which makes the low intensity scenario so stressful for the soldier in fact a harassing experience. The soldiers are thus living under tremendous psychological pressure constant fear of losing life does take its toll[13]. 15. Lack of Mental Respite. This is not a nine to five job it is continues twenty four by seven days. The terrorists in some way have initiative and can strike at the time of their choosing but the soldier has to be alert at all times, thus requiring a high state of alertness always. This leads to mental and physical fatigue and exhaustion and has a telling effect on his psyche. It is a campaign in which the regular army is pitted against the irregulars or guerrillas[14]. 16. Use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), By Terrorists. Use of IEDs gives the terrorists the ability to strike at the soldier without being seen and makes the army deploy a large number of troops for road santisation duties. This is frustrating for the soldier when he is unable to strike back at his attacker and leads to a constant fear of IEDs in the soldiers mind. 17. Constant Re-deployment. Counter insurgency operations demand a dynamic deployment depending upon militant activity and intelligence. Any person after spending some time in a place gets comfortable and starts to feel comfortable there his mind accepts the place as his home, but constant changing of bases as done in dynamic counter insurgency deployment adversely affects the soldiers mind. 18. Inadequacy of Equipment. Lack of special equipment to combat militancy has a demoralising effect on the troops. At times it gives a feeling of being pushed into ‘Counter Insurgency (CI) operations without being adequately equipped. 19. Prolonged Deployment/Change in Duration of Tenure. Many a times, move is delayed due to local operations causing uncertainties and resulting in building up of stress. 20. Break up of Joint Family System. There has been erosion in this time-tested system and more and more soldiers have now to fend for themselves. 21. Declining Discipline and Values. There has been a recent tendency among officers to over look major breaches of discipline in counter insurgency areas. Such an attitude breeds indiscipline leading to an overall discontentment among the disciplined soldiers. 22. Individual Psyche. The mental makeup of soldiers is different and their adaptability varies. A few individuals are weak and have a very low breaking point. Such persons soon become liability to the unit and are easy victims of stress related incidents. 23. Pressures of Human Rights Violations. The fear of perpetuating a human right violation and judicial harassment puts restrictions on the actions of the men and also make them vulnerable to militants during operations. 24. Lack of Recognition. There is a general feeling that due recognition is not being given for the services rendered by the soldiers in CI operations. The soldier feels that he is giving everything for the integrity of the country, but once he steps in to the civil street, no one has a word of praise for him. 25. Frustration Due to No Results (Numbers Game). The effect of operating in CI operations areas for months without any tangible results is frustrating. No amount of hard work is recognised in these operations unless accompanied by a few dead bodies of militants and some weapons. 26. Conviction towards the Cause. Most of the soldiers deployed in these operations are fighting militancy with no clear conviction towards the cause. In sum, insurgency imposes severe stress and strain on those engaged in it[15]. CHAPTER IV MANIFESTATION OF STRESS General 1. Stress can have serious consequences for both health and performance. In terms of health, the current belief is that 50-70 percent of all physical illness is related to stress. Stress is associated with heart disease, diabetes, ulcers, depression, irritation, anxiety, fatigue, lowered self-esteem, and reduced job satisfaction. Sustained over a long period, stress can lead to attempts to escape through the use of drugs or alcohol and may lead to burn out. 2. The most serious consequence of stress relates to performance. In order to take timely steps to ameliorate stress, it is imperative that commanders at all levels know the symptoms in detail. It should be the endeavour of every leader to ensure that the level of stress in the men under his commands remains within the optimum stress level (OSL) zone. Some individuals are more prone to stress than others. The reason lies in demographic differences and type of personality. 3. Demographic Differences. Demographic differences include age, health, education and profession/occupation. Age affects stress because most people go through life stages during which certain things are expected of them. As one grows in age, the expectations increases and so does the pressure. Thus age does create stress[16]. 4 Type of Personality. These are psychological in nature. These include need satisfaction, locus of control and type of personality. People, who have strong urge for need satisfaction, work hard and tend to excel others. This attribute can be basis for overwork and burnout. Locus of control refers to ones feeling of the extent to which one is able to control surrounding world. Greater an individuals perception of control over the environment, lesser is the person prone to stress, and vice versa[17]. Chronic Stress 5. Chronic stress is the outcome of prolonged exposure to stressful situation, as prevalent in the CI operations. It is not so perceptible in the initial stages, but in the longer run it causes lasting and grave damage to the physiology and psyche of the soldiers. It distorts perception and behavioural responses, and slowly but steadily wears down the stress tolerance capacity of individuals, bringing them to a state where they may break down at a critical juncture. The effects of chronic stress generally manifest themselves in the form of psychosomatic disorders, and later in the form of inappropriate behavioural responses[18]. 6. Psychosomatic Manifestations. Prolonged exposure to stress results in many psychological/physiological ailments such as headache, insomnia, fatigue, lack of appetite, duodenal ulcers, depression, diarrhoea, dizziness and fainting are some of the symptoms of a person being under chronic stress. Psychosomatic symptoms occur when thoughts and emotional reactions maintain the body in a state of physiological arousal. If this arousal is prolonged, it can lead to pain, infection, and organ breakdown[19]. 7. Behavioural Manifestations. Behavioural manifestations of chronic stress are generally in the form of defence-oriented responses. Common behavioural manifestations of chronic stress are as follows: (a) Apathy. This is the task oriented compromise reaction of an individual, wherein he shows lack of interest towards his primary role and shows great interest in secondary or mundane duties. (b) Isolation and Withdrawal. The individual under stress may reduce communicating with others or may totally stop it. The greater inclination towards the religious activities, most commonly displayed in CI environment, is also a withdrawal reaction due to internalisation of stress experienced by an individual. (c) Leave Requests. Absence without Leave and Malingering incidents are the outcome of unconscious or at times sub-conscious efforts of the mind to avoid facing the dangers of CI environment. (d) Rationalisation and Interjection. Giving logical and rational sounding excuses for own or sub units failure to perform up to the desired level, is in itself a defence oriented manifestation of stress. One form of this stress manifestation is comparing own performance with that of the others, who are not doing well enough, to justify own failures or except lower norms and standards of performance. (e) Projection. Another form of manifestation of stress is projection of blame for own shortcomings and failures on other colleagues and blaming them, their actions /advice, for own unjustifiable performance or actions. Cribbing and grumbling are also manifestation of stress. (f) Failures. Frequent failures to perform up to the desired level by same person or a sub unit reflect that the individual or the sub unit as such may be suffering from chronic stress. (g) Violence and Aggression. Violence against suspects and insurgents and aggressive attitude towards own colleagues are another form of stress expression. Under stress, individual and specially leaders, tend to displace there feeling of chronic stress by arbitrary rudeness towards their colleagues and juniors, suspects and civilian population. Excessive use of violence against captured or trapped insurgents is a common manifestation of stress. It is also believed that the passive and timid person who cannot mobilise and externalise his anger is more vulnerable to external fear because of his impaired ability to react aggressively towards the enemy and thus discharge tension. 8. Post -Traumatic Stress Reactions Post-traumatic stress disorder is a state of anxiety, depression and physiological ‘numbing that follows exposure to a severe trauma, such as warfare, militant killings, a catastrophe or violent death of a loved one. This appears as a recurrent dream or nightmare in slow motion. Victims complain of tension, insomnia and trouble in concentrating, a feeling of remoteness from others an Stress Management in Low Intensity Conflict Operations Stress Management in Low Intensity Conflict Operations CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION â€Å"Life is a long sequence of stressors† Mirza Galib General 1. Stress is an inescapable part of modern life. It is the psychological and physiological reaction that occurs when an individual perceives an imbalance between the level of demand placed upon him and his capability for meeting that demand. Stress affects individuals physiologically, emotionally and behaviourally and is linked to responses which in case of stress overloads, often results in rash or irrational behaviour. However, it is not always negative in fact, stress at optimum levels also produces a positive force or stimuli that is dynamic and often aids in tiding over difficult situations. 2. Officers, Junior Commissioned officers and men in the army are by no means insulated to the phenomenon of stress but in fact exposed to situations which tend to become stressful. Understanding of stress, therefore, plays an important role in management of personnel in the army, both in peace and in operational environments. 3. A rigid organizational structure, peculiar environmental factors, extended deployment in Counter Insurgency Operations and Combat situations often compound stress related problems in the army. These, if not tackled at an early stage results in cumulated stress effects which often surpass acceptable limits. The recent spate of suicides, fragging and fratricides provides an urgency to understand at the earliest, the maladies of stress and its effect on men officers of the army. 4. The Penguin Medical Encyclopaedia defines stress as any influence, which disturbs the natural equilibrium of the body and includes within its reference, physical injury, exposure, deprivation and all kinds of diseases and emotional disturbances. The word stress has been borrowed from Physics and Engineering where it has a precise meaning, a force sufficient enough in magnitude to distort or deform when applied to a system. For our studies the apt definition seems to be the rate of wear and tear of the mind. 5. To quote a formal definition, â€Å"Stress is defined as an adaptive response to an external situation that results in physical, psychological and / or behavioural deviations for organizational participants.[1]† It may also be defined as â€Å"failure to adapt†[2] 6. Most people view stress in a negative way but as mentioned in the previous paragraph it may be positive sometimes as it provides the extra energy to deal with tough or life threatening situations. Experts therefore agree that some stress is not only helpful but essential to keep it going for us without which we would be vegetables. Stress results from a stimulation of environment , the degree of this stimulation on the stress curve is positive to an extent but thereafter prolonged stimulations of the same kind, for example the operational environment experienced by the soldiers in Low Intensity Conflict Operations leads to manifestation of stress in the form of negative effects on the soldiers mind. High stress levels, besides manifesting in below-par performance standards during discharge of duties, are also the cause of incidents like running amok, fratricides and suicides. METHODOLOGY STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 7. To analyse the causes of stress in soldiers of Indian Army in the backdrop of its prolonged deployment in Low Intensity Conflict Operations, its manifestation in various forms and to suggest possible methods of stress management at the national, army, formation unit levels. HYPOTHESIS 8. Existing op environment in areas where the Indian Army is deployed for Low Intensity Conflict Operations coupled with prolonged deployment of troops in such areas is the main cause of stress in soldiers today which has led to an increased occurrence of stress related incidents amongst the soldiers. JUSTIFICATION OF STUDY 9. India has a 1.1 million-strong army and with 81 suicides[3] in the year 2006 stress has become one of its major worries. s given by The Indian Express show that the number of suicides per lakh personnel in the army stands at 10.8 though this is much lower than 17 for the US Army, 18 for the French and 14 of the Royal Army is still big enough to draw attention. The increasing numbers of suicide cases[4] are a cause of concern (See chart below).This fact has been proven adequately in the research carried out by Dr DS Goel of Ranchi institute of Neuropsychiatry in conjunction with command hospital northern command on â€Å"Psychological Effects of Low Intensity Operations†. Extract of the same is attached as appendix A. 10. Another alarming is the 23 cases of fratricide in 2006[5], of these 09cases were reported from Jammu and Kashmir and remaining 14 from the North East, both are areas where army is involved in Low Intensity Conflict Operations. Similar statistics also can be established in suicide cases. Why these cases did not occur in peace stations if the reasons for stress as propounded by some theories are economic growth and rising financial aspirations of the soldier is a moot question and does point to the operational environment of Low Intensity Conflict Operations as the prime reason of stress in soldiers and thus the prime nemesis to be tamed to get down the worrisome numbers of suicides and fratricides. However the effects of personal problems of the soldier causing such incidents is correct, but again if the soldier was located in a peace area he would have been in a better connected place as far as communication with his family is concerned whether it is a case of land dispute or mar ital discord or his wife not being treated well by her in laws. Most of such cases could be solved merely by the physical presence of the soldier along with his wife or parents as the case may be thus it connects to the prolonged deployment of troops in Low Intensity Conflict Operations which leads to increased domestic problems in a soldiers life. 11. In July 2009 the Honourable RM while answering to a question in the parliament stated that already 48 cases of suicides and one case of fratricide have been reported till June[6], its anybodys guess what the final for 2009 will be, whatever be the it cannot be denied that the Indian Army today is faced with the demon of stress in its soldiers. The good news is that the army has realised that this is a problem and cannot be wished away and a number of steps are being taken to tackle the issue but till such time the bigger demon of Low Intensity Conflict Operations exists and some holistic measures by the government and the army are undertaken, firstly to improve the operational environment and secondly to reduce or decrease the time which a soldier spends continuously in Low Intensity Conflict Operations areas, this demon will continue to feed on the strength of the Indian Army- the Indomitable spirit of the Indian soldier. SCOPE 12. The scope is limited to study the following aspects :- (a) Deployment pattern of Indian Army in Low Intensity Conflict Operations. (b) Operational Environment in Low Intensity Conflict Operations. (c) Manifestation of stress and its inter-relation with behaviour/performance. (d) Management of stress to include present approach its shortcomings and recommendations. OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS 13. Some terms used in this dissertation are defined below:- (a) Combat Stress[7]. The stress experienced by the soldier during a combat situation. This is a complex form of stress resulting from all the physical and mental strain caused to the soldier during the combat mission, it is cumulative in nature and the number of times the soldier goes through the same situation it causes stress and is accumulated in the mind of the combatant. (b) Stressors. The factors that cause stress are called stressors; it can be an event or situation which requires a non routine change in the lifestyle or behaviour of a soldier. This causes a felling of conflict with the ideals and values of a person or it may pose a challenge or threat to an individuals sense of wellbeing or self esteem. (c) Eustress[8]. Stress may manifest sometimes in a positive way, this effect is known as Eustress, which is described by experts as a motivator which drives a person to achieve extraordinary feats under situations of pressure. It is obvious that Eustress is not harmful being occasional. METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION 14. The research work is mainly based on books, journals available in the library, thesis and dissertation work available on the internet as also the study report of the Defence Institute of Psychological Research on the causes of inter-personal violence in the units deployed in counter insurgency areas and the study report of research carried out by Ranchi Institute of Neurosciences in collaboration with Armed Forces Medical Services, Command Hospital (Northern Command) and Director general Medical Services. Data of twenty units of infantry and artillery was also collected to prove that the existing deployment pattern and troop commitment to Rashtriya Rifles is resulting in prolonged exposure of approximately one percent of soldiers to higher stress prone areas. A detailed bibliography of sources is appended at the end of the dissertation. ORGANISATION OF THE DISSERTATION (CHAPTERISATION) 15. It is proposed to study the subject in the following manner :- (a) Chapter I Introduction. (b) Chapter II Deployment Pattern of Indian Army in Low Intensity Conflict Operations. (c) Chapter III Operational environment in Low Intensity Conflict Operations Areas. (d) Chapter IV Manifestation of Stress. (e) Chapter V Management of Stress. (f) Chapter VI Recommendations and Conclusion. CHAPTER II DEPLOYMENT PATTERN OF INDIAN ARMY IN LOW INTENSITY CONFLICT OPERATIONS â€Å"We live longer than our forefathers, but we suffer more from a thousand artificial anxieties and cares. They fatigued only muscles we exhaust the finer strength of our nerves† -Edward George Bulwer-Lytton 1. Infantry Battalions. The infantry battalions are deployed for Low Intensity Conflict Operations typically for a duration of two to three years during what is known as the field tenure, it can either be in the Northern sector (Jammu and Kashmir) or the North Eastern region. After tenure of aforesaid duration when the battalion is de-inducted from such areas to peace locations, a finite number of soldiers are sent to the affiliated Rashtriya Rifles (RR) Battalions to meet the requirement of troop commitment of Indian army to such units (Refer survey in following paragraphs). Thus a number of soldiers who have served for up to two to three years are again posted to operate in a Low Intensity Conflict Operations situation for a duration of two years and furthermore when these soldiers return from this stint it is again time for their battalion to move to field area for Low Intensity Conflict Operations, hence he again undergoes a tenure in high stress environment. In this way some sol diers end up spending up to six to seven years in Low Intensity Conflict Operations which anybody who has been there will agree is a long time. 2. Artillery Units. The case mentioned above is only slightly better for artillery, since the artillery units generally have longer peace tenures than the infantry battalions; hence a soldier after coming back, gets to spend some time in peace locations, however these personnel would have still undergone up to four years of continuous field area tenure. 3. Survey. To establish the facts mentioned in the previous paragraphs, data was collected from ten infantry battalions and ten artillery regiments. The results of the survey are given in succeeding paragraphs. 4. Infantry Battalions. Number of personnel who were dispatched to RR Battalions within one year are given as under, due to security reasons the exact identity of the units is not being revealed:- Serial Number Battalion Number of Personnel Junior Commissioned Officers Other Ranks (i) A Battalion 04 53 (ii) B Battalion 05 52 (iii) C Battalion 03 54 (iv) D Battalion 04 51 (v) E Battalion 04 52 (vi) F Battalion 04 55 (vii) G Battalion 04 52 (viii) H Battalion 04 55 (ix) J Battalion 04 51 (x) K Battalion 04 56 9 5. Artillery Regiments. A similar survey of artillery units revealed the following s:- Serial Number Regiment Number of Personnel Junior Commissioned Officers Other Ranks (i) No 1 Regiment 01 59 (ii) No 2 Regiment 02 58 (iii) No 3 Regiment 02 61 (iv) No 4 Regiment 03 58 (v) No 5 Regiment 01 56 (vi) No 6 Regiment 02 57 (vii) No 7 Regiment 03 59 (viii) No 8 Regiment 03 58 (ix) No 9 Regiment 02 57 (x) No 10 Regiment 01 60 Analysis of Data. 6. An analysis of the survey reveals the following:- (a) In the case of infantry battalions, on an average a total of four junior commissioned officers and fifty three soldiers were found who have had to undergo extended field tenure in excess of six years. (b) In case of artillery units, it can be seen from the data shown in the, table above that number of such personnel on an average is about is about fifty nine other ranks. Though artillery units are relatively better off due to reasons mentioned earlier, still these individuals still undergo an extended tenure in a Low Intensity Conflict Operations situation, and hence are over exposed to the stressful operational environment of Low Intensity Conflict Operations. 7. A further analysis reveals this to be a repetitive affair since each unit or battalion is responsible for providing relief of its personnel in Rashtriya Rifles (RR) thus when these personnel are reverted a set of similar strength is dispatched, therefore the fifty three soldiers in case of infantry battalions who were sent in the second year of the battalions peace tenure also have an extended tenure in Low Intensity Conflict Operations area, extending up to an year with Rashtriya Rifles and up to three years with their respective battalions. 8. One more interesting which emerges from the statistics[9] that the number of suicides and fratricides were much higher in Jammu and Kashmir than in the North-East. Why so? There could be number of reasons for this like intensity of operational environment, troop commitment of Army to Assam Rifles (AR) as compared to RR, better management of Low Intensity Conflict Operations due to longer experience of the Indian Army in the North East etc but the operational environment factor emerges as the singular, most differentiating aspects between the two regions. Report of study of Defence Institute of Psychological Research refers as attached as appendix B[10] also corroborates the same. CHAPTER III OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT IN LOW INTENSITY CONFLICT OPERATIONS â€Å"It is the man trained to recognize the dangers of the battlefield, understand his fears without surrendering to them and equipped with skills he must have to carryout his task, who can endure the prolonged stress of modern war† -Shelford Bidwell 1. In conventional operations battle lines are clearly drawn, one can identify the enemy easily and thus aggression can be directed unequivocally in his direction. The situation in Low Intensity Conflict Operations is quite the opposite. These are often characterised by limitations of armament being used, Tactics and levels of force applied. They are often protracted and involve military, diplomatic, economic and psychological pressure through terrorism and insurgency. Troops trained in conventional warfare experience significant stress in such operations. Conventional military training makes the soldier think in clear cut extremes of black and white, friend and foe. This tendency often leads to problems in Low Intensity Conflict Operations where the concept of ‘enemy cannot be applied to ones own population. The contributory factors, which increase the stress level on soldiers participating in Low Intensity Conflict Operations, are the product of complex interplay of the three elements involved the terrorist, the local population and the soldier. 2. Low Intensity Conflict Operations are continuous; there are no pauses and no time outs or half times. Frustrations mount when there is no breakthrough for months together and while the expectation to perform and produce results are high. The soldiers are caught in the cross fire moral Vs the immoral and the dividing lines are blurred. In sum, insurgency imposes severe stress and strain on those engaged in it[11]. 3. The operational environment in Low Intensity Conflict Operations is an ideal cauldron for manifestation of stress related problems. Some other factors which affect the soldier in such a situation are discussed in succeeding paragraphs. 4. Boredom and Isolation. The operational environment is characterised by long drawn intense activity. During the periods of lull and inactivity there are times when the imagination could run wild and seriously affect the individuals capacity to think rationally. 5. Hostile Local Population. One of the key factors for fighting and restricting insurgencies is the local populace. Due to a number of reasons such as fear of retribution by terrorists or negative propaganda against the army, the attitude of the locals towards the army is hostile. This causes considerable strain in the minds of the soldier who cant understand as to why the same people are against him to save whom he is risking his life. 6. Long Drawn Operations. These type of operations are long prolonged affair in which the inability to see the end of the tunnel is in itself quite stressful. Fatigue in such situations may be of two types. Firstly, tiring operational work in the form of sitting in long ambushes etc leads to physical exhaustion. Secondly, mental fatigue is caused by the repetitive nature of such physically exhausting missions over a long period of time, with little hope of relief. This condition can result in breakdown or even burning out. Prolonged spells of stress punctuated by quantitatively and qualitatively inadequate opportunities 7. Guilt. In Low Intensity Conflict Operations, the soldier is at a loss to understand the rationale of killing own countrymen, and hence is faced with a factor of guilt, even though he may not accept it openly for the fear of being ridiculed by peers but he sub-consciously feels a sense of guilt. 8. Human Rights Factor. The fear of being prosecuted for Human Rights violations, is always at the back of the minds of commanders at levels and thus percolates down to the soldiers in the form of unrealistic restraints and restrictions while operating in such environment. This too adds its share as stress. 9. Adverse Media Influence. The media in many cases blames the army for any collateral damage caused during an operation or sometimes blows a wrong accusation of Human rights violation against the security forces out of proportion to sell news, this is especially true for local vernacular media. They never highlight the gains of the army but would jump at a single violation, though army is now addressing this issue with its proactive media policy. 10. Separation From Families. Loneliness, domestic worries and a long wait for leave are not singular but inter-related issues all these have mutually related effects on the psyche of the soldier. Domestic worries have an adverse impact, especially so in low intensity situations wherein the soldier is as it is stressed out and is further frustrated since he cannot attend to his family problems in person. 11. Unrealistic Goals and Demands. The matters are made worse when senior commanders lay down unrealistic targets to be met in terms of terrorists killed or captured and weapons captured. The results in low intensity situations are not corporate targets to be met in a month or a quarter or a financial year they come by fits and starts and are not routine, a good month may see a good haul of Kills and there could be a lean period extending months together sometimes. The pressure to achieve results day after day in the end manifests as stress on the soldier. 12. Low intensity conflict operations are full of ambiguity and uncertainty. It should be realized by the government in general and the army hierarchy in particular that prolonged exposure to such situations is likely to make everyone, be it officers or soldiers, susceptible to stress because they are not only surviving there but are working at a faster pace everyday to deal with the uncertainty and constantly changing dynamic situations. STRESSORS PECULIAR TO LOW INTENSITY CONFLICT OPERATIONS 13. Inhospitable Terrain and Climate. The terrain and climate in which the troops are deployed in low intensity conflicts are mountainous terrain sometimes with secondary jungles and have harsh climatic conditions. The cold climate in J K and the heavy monsoons in North East make normal living in temporary habitats difficult[12]. Under such working conditions whenever there is a lack of motivation due to any reason, there is bound to be general deterioration of morale and discipline amongst the soldiers, thus this factor is an important stressor as far as the soldier is concerned. 14. Fear of Unknown. All soldiers who have been in life threatening soldiers are familiar with this phenomenon. It is the possibility of getting killed which puts a soldier under immense pressure it is omnipresent whether on duty within the company post or on operations outside the company post. It is primarily the fear of death or injury, which makes the low intensity scenario so stressful for the soldier in fact a harassing experience. The soldiers are thus living under tremendous psychological pressure constant fear of losing life does take its toll[13]. 15. Lack of Mental Respite. This is not a nine to five job it is continues twenty four by seven days. The terrorists in some way have initiative and can strike at the time of their choosing but the soldier has to be alert at all times, thus requiring a high state of alertness always. This leads to mental and physical fatigue and exhaustion and has a telling effect on his psyche. It is a campaign in which the regular army is pitted against the irregulars or guerrillas[14]. 16. Use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), By Terrorists. Use of IEDs gives the terrorists the ability to strike at the soldier without being seen and makes the army deploy a large number of troops for road santisation duties. This is frustrating for the soldier when he is unable to strike back at his attacker and leads to a constant fear of IEDs in the soldiers mind. 17. Constant Re-deployment. Counter insurgency operations demand a dynamic deployment depending upon militant activity and intelligence. Any person after spending some time in a place gets comfortable and starts to feel comfortable there his mind accepts the place as his home, but constant changing of bases as done in dynamic counter insurgency deployment adversely affects the soldiers mind. 18. Inadequacy of Equipment. Lack of special equipment to combat militancy has a demoralising effect on the troops. At times it gives a feeling of being pushed into ‘Counter Insurgency (CI) operations without being adequately equipped. 19. Prolonged Deployment/Change in Duration of Tenure. Many a times, move is delayed due to local operations causing uncertainties and resulting in building up of stress. 20. Break up of Joint Family System. There has been erosion in this time-tested system and more and more soldiers have now to fend for themselves. 21. Declining Discipline and Values. There has been a recent tendency among officers to over look major breaches of discipline in counter insurgency areas. Such an attitude breeds indiscipline leading to an overall discontentment among the disciplined soldiers. 22. Individual Psyche. The mental makeup of soldiers is different and their adaptability varies. A few individuals are weak and have a very low breaking point. Such persons soon become liability to the unit and are easy victims of stress related incidents. 23. Pressures of Human Rights Violations. The fear of perpetuating a human right violation and judicial harassment puts restrictions on the actions of the men and also make them vulnerable to militants during operations. 24. Lack of Recognition. There is a general feeling that due recognition is not being given for the services rendered by the soldiers in CI operations. The soldier feels that he is giving everything for the integrity of the country, but once he steps in to the civil street, no one has a word of praise for him. 25. Frustration Due to No Results (Numbers Game). The effect of operating in CI operations areas for months without any tangible results is frustrating. No amount of hard work is recognised in these operations unless accompanied by a few dead bodies of militants and some weapons. 26. Conviction towards the Cause. Most of the soldiers deployed in these operations are fighting militancy with no clear conviction towards the cause. In sum, insurgency imposes severe stress and strain on those engaged in it[15]. CHAPTER IV MANIFESTATION OF STRESS General 1. Stress can have serious consequences for both health and performance. In terms of health, the current belief is that 50-70 percent of all physical illness is related to stress. Stress is associated with heart disease, diabetes, ulcers, depression, irritation, anxiety, fatigue, lowered self-esteem, and reduced job satisfaction. Sustained over a long period, stress can lead to attempts to escape through the use of drugs or alcohol and may lead to burn out. 2. The most serious consequence of stress relates to performance. In order to take timely steps to ameliorate stress, it is imperative that commanders at all levels know the symptoms in detail. It should be the endeavour of every leader to ensure that the level of stress in the men under his commands remains within the optimum stress level (OSL) zone. Some individuals are more prone to stress than others. The reason lies in demographic differences and type of personality. 3. Demographic Differences. Demographic differences include age, health, education and profession/occupation. Age affects stress because most people go through life stages during which certain things are expected of them. As one grows in age, the expectations increases and so does the pressure. Thus age does create stress[16]. 4 Type of Personality. These are psychological in nature. These include need satisfaction, locus of control and type of personality. People, who have strong urge for need satisfaction, work hard and tend to excel others. This attribute can be basis for overwork and burnout. Locus of control refers to ones feeling of the extent to which one is able to control surrounding world. Greater an individuals perception of control over the environment, lesser is the person prone to stress, and vice versa[17]. Chronic Stress 5. Chronic stress is the outcome of prolonged exposure to stressful situation, as prevalent in the CI operations. It is not so perceptible in the initial stages, but in the longer run it causes lasting and grave damage to the physiology and psyche of the soldiers. It distorts perception and behavioural responses, and slowly but steadily wears down the stress tolerance capacity of individuals, bringing them to a state where they may break down at a critical juncture. The effects of chronic stress generally manifest themselves in the form of psychosomatic disorders, and later in the form of inappropriate behavioural responses[18]. 6. Psychosomatic Manifestations. Prolonged exposure to stress results in many psychological/physiological ailments such as headache, insomnia, fatigue, lack of appetite, duodenal ulcers, depression, diarrhoea, dizziness and fainting are some of the symptoms of a person being under chronic stress. Psychosomatic symptoms occur when thoughts and emotional reactions maintain the body in a state of physiological arousal. If this arousal is prolonged, it can lead to pain, infection, and organ breakdown[19]. 7. Behavioural Manifestations. Behavioural manifestations of chronic stress are generally in the form of defence-oriented responses. Common behavioural manifestations of chronic stress are as follows: (a) Apathy. This is the task oriented compromise reaction of an individual, wherein he shows lack of interest towards his primary role and shows great interest in secondary or mundane duties. (b) Isolation and Withdrawal. The individual under stress may reduce communicating with others or may totally stop it. The greater inclination towards the religious activities, most commonly displayed in CI environment, is also a withdrawal reaction due to internalisation of stress experienced by an individual. (c) Leave Requests. Absence without Leave and Malingering incidents are the outcome of unconscious or at times sub-conscious efforts of the mind to avoid facing the dangers of CI environment. (d) Rationalisation and Interjection. Giving logical and rational sounding excuses for own or sub units failure to perform up to the desired level, is in itself a defence oriented manifestation of stress. One form of this stress manifestation is comparing own performance with that of the others, who are not doing well enough, to justify own failures or except lower norms and standards of performance. (e) Projection. Another form of manifestation of stress is projection of blame for own shortcomings and failures on other colleagues and blaming them, their actions /advice, for own unjustifiable performance or actions. Cribbing and grumbling are also manifestation of stress. (f) Failures. Frequent failures to perform up to the desired level by same person or a sub unit reflect that the individual or the sub unit as such may be suffering from chronic stress. (g) Violence and Aggression. Violence against suspects and insurgents and aggressive attitude towards own colleagues are another form of stress expression. Under stress, individual and specially leaders, tend to displace there feeling of chronic stress by arbitrary rudeness towards their colleagues and juniors, suspects and civilian population. Excessive use of violence against captured or trapped insurgents is a common manifestation of stress. It is also believed that the passive and timid person who cannot mobilise and externalise his anger is more vulnerable to external fear because of his impaired ability to react aggressively towards the enemy and thus discharge tension. 8. Post -Traumatic Stress Reactions Post-traumatic stress disorder is a state of anxiety, depression and physiological ‘numbing that follows exposure to a severe trauma, such as warfare, militant killings, a catastrophe or violent death of a loved one. This appears as a recurrent dream or nightmare in slow motion. Victims complain of tension, insomnia and trouble in concentrating, a feeling of remoteness from others an